Merchandise punchboard device



June 3, 1941. Y REBSTOCK 2,244,080

MERCHANDISE PUNCHBOARD DEVICE Filed March l3, 1959 JM m AiiarneysPatented June 3, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE MERCHANDISE PUNCHBOARDDEVICE Kenneth E. Rebstock, Mankato, Minn. Application March 13, 1939,Serial No. 261,544

51 Claims.

This invention relates to merchandising devices of the punch board typewhere small merchandise or compacted pellets are disposed in amultiplicity of small chambers formed in a board and may be selectivelypunched through the board by a person making use of the device. Suchdevices have been used for fortune telling where the individualcompacted pellets have information printed thereon when unfolded afterbeing punched. They have also been used extensively as tradestimulatorswhere the customer of the shop who makes the purchase isentitled to participate in a price contest by punching a number from theboard. Such devices have also been utilized in vending small articlessuch as candy, gum, marbles and the like, where the user pays for one ofthe articles and then punches out the contents of one of the recesses orchambers in the board.

It is an object of my invention to provide a merchandising device of thepunch board type which may be either built into the construction of theboard itself or manufactured as an attachment by which the board may beheld in an attractive display position, as well as providing certainadvantages from the standpoint of the proprietor as well as theconvenience of the customer using the board.

More specifically it is an object to provide in a device of the classdescribed a support and holder having wide adjustability to receive anddisplay punch boards of various widths, heights and thicknesses.

It is a further object in va device of the class described to provide ameans for guiding the merchandise or punch ejectedfrom the board wherebythe same will be collected in the front of the. board, cannot becomelost when ejected from a chamber of the board and cannot be'mixed withmerchandise or pellets punched from an adjacent device.

Still a further object is the provision of .a partition or guardcovering the back of the board which receives and guides merchandise orpellets punched from the chambers of the board to a collection troughdisposed at the front of the device.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be morefully set forth in the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which like reference characters refer to thesame parts throughout the several views, and in which Fig. 1 is a frontelevation with a considerable portion of the punch board broken away,showing one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing the invention constitutes an auxiliary device for receiving,displaying and assisting in the operation of conventional types ofmerchandising boards now extensively used. It will, of course, beunderstood that the novel features of my invention may be embodied inthe construction of the board itself as well as in an attachment orauxiliary device.

Merchandise board B of conventional type is shown having the usualcylindrical chambers C formed by aperturing the body of the board fromone side to the other and which chambers contain merchandise orcompacted pellets P which may carry printed indicia having informationconcerning the supposed future or fortune of a person using the device.As is usual, the front face of the board is covered with a sheet ofpaper or other frangible material which indicates the punch chamberswhile covering the outer ends thereof.

My device as shown comprises a stand or support composed of two slidablyadjustable sectionsindicated as entireties by the letters X and Y. Thesections X and'Y have the supporting legs 5 and 6 respectivelyintegrally formed and are rigidly secured to the respective sidechannels I and B which extend upwardly from the legs or base members atan acute angle as shown of approximately 60 degrees. Overlapping backmembers 9 and H], which may be integrally formed with or independentlyconstructed and rigidly secured to channels 1 and 8, are disposedrearwardly of and beneath the board B and have slidably engaged toprails I I and 12 respectively which connect the sections X and Y at thetop of the device. As shown, the back member l0 carries the channelmember l2 which may be bent from the construction of the back member,and the back member 9 of section X has its upper edge bent inwardly andupon itself to form a flange slidably engaging said channel member It.

The back members 9 and I!) extend downwardly to the legs 5 and 6 of therespective sections and then are bent forwardly and upwardly, as shown,

' along curved lines to constitute a trough, said position I providesuitable retaining means which,

as shown, are in the form of a series of clamping bolts l5, two of whichthreadedly engage internally threaded 'burrs l6 soldered to the backmember 9 and two of which similarly threadedly engage similar bolts l6soldered to the forward side of the back member It]. The bolts l5 mayobviously be adjusted so that their ends may clamp against portions ofboard B to retain the same tightly against the outer flanges of channelmembers "i and B, and wide adjustment for boards varying considerably inthickness is thus provided.

Likewise, it will be seen that the two sections X and Y havingtelescopic or slidable relationship may be overlapped for variousdistances to dispose the receiving channels I and 8 in proper positionto hold boards varying widely in width, and since of course the top ofthe holding device is open, boards varying considerably in length maylikewise be accommodated.

In use with the board operatively positioned within sections X and Y, asshown in the drawing a user utilizes a pin or punch device [1 topenetrate the frangible sheet material on the face of the board andeject one of the articles or pellets from the chamber. The pin l9 shouldbe of such length that the shank thereof will pass through the entirechamber causing the article of merchandise or pellet to drop from therear side of the board into the space between the board and the chuteformed by back sections 9 and ID. This chute guides the article orpellet downwardly to the trough formed by sections [3 and H1 at thefront of the board where the customer may pick up the article. By theconstruction of the trough so formed, and slide, and the sides la and 8aof the channel members which extend to the trough itself, the articlecannot leave the device when dispensed and loss or mixing of pelletspunched with pellets of an adjacent board is thus eliminated.

The complete covering of the back of the board protects the customerfrom others taking the merchandise as it is ejected, as well asassuresthe direction and collection of the merchandise and pellets, as has beenherein set forth.

From the foregoing description it will beseen that I have provided avery simple, but highly efiicient merchandise board device whichprominently displays such boards for use; which prevents loss orconfusion of articles ejected from the board and which is adjustablewithin a wide range for boards varying considerably in thickness, lengthand width.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, details, proportions and arrangement of the parts withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention, which, generally, stated,consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forthand in the novel parts and combinations of parts disclosed and definedin the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A holder and article collector for merchandise punch boardscomprising, a pair of slidably telescoped and horizontally adjustableframe sections adapted to hold punch boards varying in width in uprightposition for display and use, means for securing a board to said frame,a combination back member and chute comprising slidable overlappingsections secured to said respective frame sections, said chute beingdisposed rearwardly of and in spaced relation to the rear surface ofsaid board and extending below the lower edge of said board, and acollection trough connected with said frame for receiving punch-ejectedarticles from said chute, said trough being accessible from the front ofsaid board.

2. A holder and article collector for merchandise punch boardscomprising, a pair of frame sections telescopically connected togetherfor extension or retraction to vary the width of said device, said framesections having means for engaging the side edges ofa board, means oneach of said sections for rigidly securing a punch board thereto, saidframe sections being open at their upper endtoreceive a board fromabove, a combination' back member and chute comprising overlappingsections secured to said respective frame sections, said chute beingdisposed rearwardly of and in spaced relation to the rear surface ofsaid board, and a collection trough comprising overlapping sectionsconnected respectively with said chute and disposed below the lower edgeof said board, said trough being accessible from the front of saidboard.

3.A support and collector for punch boards comprising, an upstandingback and chute member,;said member comprising telescoping overlappingsections adapted to be adjustedv to vary the width of said member, meansfor securing the edges of a punch board to said member in spacedrelation to the overlapping portions of said sections and with the loweredge of said punch board disposed above the bottom of said member.

,4. A support and collector for punch boards comprising, a pair oftelescoping sections, slidably and horizontally adjustable to hold punchboards varying in width, said sections including flat, slidablyoverlapping back portionsextend ing upwardly at-an angle tothe'horizontal, said sections further including base members eachconnected with one of said telescoping sections, said sections furtherhaving forwardlyturned, overlapping portions mounted for slidableadjustment, each rigidly secured to one of said sections and extendingsubstantially horizontally, and means associated with each of saidsections for clamping a punch board adjacent the upwardly extendingedges thereof to hold the same in forwardly spaced relationship to saidback sections. 1

KENNETH E. REBSTOCK.

